


The Honest Truth

by queen_scribbles



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, it finally happens omg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 19:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14677545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles
Summary: Honesty may be the best policy, but that doesn't mean it's always easy





	The Honest Truth

**Author's Note:**

> *throws 6k of Ederity at the internet and runs away* (This is set after A Fine Line, so you might want to read that first. I think it's stands alright on it's own, but just for flavor and background)

 

_You need to tell him._

Charity pursed her lips and tried to think of a good argument against the persistent thought. Same as the last several days, she couldn’t come up with anything. Sparrow mewed softly, butting against her hand, and Charity absently resumed petting her, staring at the rows of candles but not really seeing them.

This was Tavi’s fault. Their last conversation still rattled around in Charity’s head, the Watcher’s admonition to _be honest_  ringing loudly any time her thoughts drifted towards Edér. They’d been doing that a lot lately.

Both Tavi and the little voice in her head were right, and she knew it. That was the problem. She didn’t know where to _start_. How did you ease into ‘ _By the way, I know we’ve been pretend-courting for months but I think I’m really falling in love with you_ ’? _Could_ you ease into that?

Charity groaned and leaned forward, propping her elbows against her knees so she could rest her face in her hands. Sparrow mewed impatiently, displeased with the loss of attention, and headbutted her shoulder. This time Charity sighed and looked the cat in the eye. “What do I _do_ , Sparrow?”

_Mroaw._ The calico rubbed her head against Charity’s arm and then sat back and blinked slowly at her. 

“I have to go talk to him, don’t I?”

_Blink. Blink._

“That’s a yes, isn’t it?”

_Blink. Blink._ Sparrow broke eye contact and started licking one paw, clearly done with their conversation.

Charity sighed again and pushed off the chair. She knew she was just stalling. Delaying the inevitable because she afraid of what might result. _You need to tell him,_ the little voice urged. _Everything._

“You’re right,” she said aloud, hearing the reluctance in her own voice. She fidgeted with her necklace, fingers rubbing over where etched gold met glass as she headed toward the front vestibule.

Just as she reached it, there was a knock on the door. “Charity? You in here?”

Her heart somehow fluttered and dropped to her toes in the same instant. _Oh, sweet Eothas, help._ She summoned a smile from _somewhere_ and opened the door. “Hey, Edér, I was just thinking about you.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead, the move sheer habit by this point. “Good things, I hope.”

“Only the best,” Charity promised, nails digging into her palms. “I actually needed to talk to you....”

“Funny,” Edér chuckled. “I had somethin’ to ask you, too.”

“Well, that’s fortuitous, then,” she said as they both settled into the front pew, faces lit by the flickering candles. “You’re the guest, so you first.”

“Alright.” He blew out a breath that was almost a sigh, then held her gaze as he asked, “How come you don’t have a last name?”

_Effigy’s eye, he would ask that now. I should have gone first._ She wanted to laugh at his timing, but all that came out was a fumbled, “Um...”

“I wasn’t pryin’,” Edér added hasitly. “Just finishin’ up the records for that land dispute Cadwyn and Soren had, since they resolved things this week, an’ happened to notice when I was diggin’ through paperwork that yours for your land just has _Charity_. Is that just an oversight, or...”

Charity ran one hand down her face. “I... left it behind. I-I’ve mentioned before that home didn’t want me, but that’s honestly sugarcoatin’ it.” Her hands knotted in her lap and her gaze dropped briefly to the floor before she met his eyes again. She hadn’t realized this would be so damn _hard_. “They hated me. I was worried if I didn’t shuck my name trouble might follow me, the lethal kind.” She bit her lip. “My parents have already had to bury one daughter, I didn’t want to make them do it again. Figured the best way to go about it was be someone new, an’ mercenary companies don’t care if you have a full name or not.”

Edér rubbed her arm, his hand trailing down to hold hers. “What town was stupid enough to hate _you_ that much, Char?”

Her stomach felt like lead as she shifted to take both his hands in hers. _Be honest._ Even wanting everything in the open with him, she had to force the words out. “Little Bend.”

It took a moment to sink in before he blinked, hands slack in her grip, slowly dawning hurt in his voice as he said, “That’s in-”

“Readceras,” Charity finished with a confirming nod, her own voice cracking.

Edér was quiet for a few long heartbeats. “You...” He stopped and she could almost see him consciously picking a different tact than the original. “You said you were from Ixamitl.”

“I said _my family_ was from Ixamitl. Which is true. My parents and the six generations before them were all born and raised in Necazoa. I wasn’t.”

“Why?” The single word was strained and he wasn’t looking at her anymore.

But he didn’t pull away, so she clung to the thread of hope that gave, brushing her thumbs over his knuckles as she began. “Long short short, my parents fell in love with the wrong people and couldn’t stay. Long story a little bit longer, they were both betrothed to other people when they met, which they broke off to marry each other. Their intendeds were both the children of powerful people, and said powerful people ensured Ixamitl became a thoroughly unwelcome place for them. Since their parents has also disowned them, they had to go elsewhere. Closest thing that was a reasonably safe bet was Readceras.

“So they packed what little they had to their name and headed south,” she continued, staring at their still-joined hands. _Please...._ ”Papa had _some_ skill as a farmer, and Ma’s one of the best weavers Eora’s ever seen. They figured they could make a living somewhere. Lucked out an’ met a couple sellin’ their vorlas farm for dirt cheap ‘cause they wanted to go back to Aedyr right after arrivin’ in Little Bend. It seemed as good a place as any.” She snorted a soft laugh. “They even worshiped the right god an’ everything.”

“So they were Eothasian?” Edér said questioningly, barely above a mumble.

“Yeah. That tradition they kept, even if they had to move away from the traditional hometown and leave a lot of other rituals behind.” Charity shifted when Sparrow jumped up next to her, as if sensing the need for emotional support. “They made a life, made babies” --she smiled briefly-- “gave us proper Readceran names so we’d fit in a little better, and raised us with enough faith for a village.”

“What happened, then?” he asked. His hands twitched slightly in hers and Charity fought the urge to tighten her grip. “If you worshiped the right god an’ all, how they wind up hatin’ you so much you left and changed your name?”

She smiled bitterly. “Waidwen happened. The Saint’s War. What else has happened in Readceras in the past thirty years? ‘Side from the vorlas blight, anyway. We believed him when he first showed up. He gave my parents hope at a point when they desperately needed it.” Part of her wanted _so badly_ to start playing with her ponytail, but she was afraid if she let go of Edér’s hands she’d lose him. “And then he started going after people for ‘heresy’. At first it was corrupt officials who _needed_ punishing, but then it spread. That didn’t strike us as an attitude in harmony with a god who’s about redemption and forgiveness and fresh beginnings. My parents were more quiet about their concerns, not wanting to lose _another_ home, but I... raised some questions that almost got me in trouble. Only reason I didn’t is most of the priests wrote me off as a mouthy teenager in her rebellious phase.”

She snorted, daring to meet his eyes. The wary look she found there cut down to her soul, but she pressed on. _You wanted to be honest, be honest._  “Then Waidwen got himself blown up ‘cause he didn’t know when to fucking _stop_ , an’, well, you know how the war ended. Readceras spent the next few years in shock, trying to come to terms with the death of their god _and_ recover from the vorlas blight, and while things got a little easier for followers of Eothas inside the borders, less scrutiny, they got harder for others. I joined the militia, such as it was, for Little Bend soon as I was old enough, hoping I could keep things from going too far.

“Third day in, I stopped a couple of teenagers who were harassing a Magranite, later got called into my captain’s office for a talking to about what they _meant_ by ‘keeping the peace’ and how I should be careful about aligning myself with the wrong god. For telling a group of kids to stop picking on an old man.” She shook her head. “I was on thin ice from there out, it just took awhile to finally crack. When it did, I started getting the cold shoulder _and_ threats, people started hassling my parents, and I decided to let ‘em win, mostly for my parents’ sake.” Charity sighed. “I packed up some clothes, food, and what coin I had saved, left everything else behind, including my name, made it all the way to New Yarma ‘fore I had to find work. Joined a mercenary company, stuck with that sorta work for the next ten years. I wrote my parents once a few years back to let ‘em know I’m still alive, but I haven’t been back to visit at all. Too worried what people might do to ‘em. Mostly stuck to the Dyrwood, though I did take a few escort jobs down to the Republics and up to Ixamitl.

“Then after the Hollowborn Crisis ends, I hear about the mayor of this one little nothin’ village, offering free land to new settlers. Realized then and there I was tired of wandering, wanted to put down roots, and the Dyrwood’s as good a place as any for a fresh start.”

“And I know the rest,” Edér said softly. He didn’t sound like he hated her, which was a good sign. (He sounded almost numb, which wasn’t.) He eyes flicked up from their hands to her face. “Were you ever gonna tell me?”

Charity laughed wryly and squeezed his hand. He didn’t reciprocate, but he didn’t pull away, either. _Take what I can get._ “I was, actually. That’s what I’d wanted to talk to you about. I know that sounds convenient and all, but it’s the honest truth, Edér, I swear it.”

“Right.” He sounded like he believed her. “Well, then, I hafta ask, why now? We’ve been...” --he tripped over the word and something inside her twisted with uncertainty-- “friends for near on a year now. Pretendin’ to court for _months_. So why tell me now?”

“B’cause I didn’t want to keep it a secret anymore,” she said, voice going rough a couple words in.

“And why’s that matter?” Edér cocked his head and looked at her like she was a puzzle he was trying to solve. “Honest truth, Charity, what made you care? Why not just sit on it as part of your fresh start?”

_Oh, sweet **blazing** Eothas..._ Charity bit her lip, not even able to appreciate the unintentional pun, dug for all her courage, and looked him dead in the eye. “I... I want to be completely honest with you, Edér. I want to trust you with all of it.” _Say it, before you chicken out._  “Because I’m falling in love with you.”

He blinked, looking like she’d punched him in the gut. In all fairness, that was a valid reaction to the last several minutes.

“I know it’s a lot,” she hastened to add, “And I never meant to dump all of that on you at the same time. A-And if you need some time to process it all before saying anything, that’s fine and I completely understand.”

“That might....” Edér cleared his throat and half-met her eyes. “That might be a good idea.” He squeezed her hands, then slipped his free as he stood. “Gimme a couple days?”

Charity nodded mutely, one hand already twisted in her ponytail, twirling a lock of hair in time with her racing heart.

He hesitated, lips pursed as if about to say something more, then simply turned and left without a word.

Sparrow climbed in her lap as the door clicked shut behind him, and Charity turned her attention to the cat. “Well, that went better than I expected,” she murmured, running one hand down Sparrow’s back, but her voice shook, thick with unshed tears, and the lump in her throat took hours to go away.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He had to admit, he’d never expected such a _simple_ question, meant mainly to satisfy idle curiosity to wind up leaving him rattled and distracted the entire rest of the day. If he was totally honest, Edér wasn’t sure which revelation had shaken him more. He knew which one _should_ have, but you didn’t get to pick where you were born and raised. ‘Sides, it sure seemed the country didn’t want to have anything to do with her, which only served to solidify his opinion of general Readceran intelligence. Namely, the lack of it.

Still. _Readceras_. He mouthed the word as he refilled his pipe for the third time. It was almost enough to distract him from the _othe_ r revelation Charity had dropped on him.

Never in a thousand years would he have imagined (hoped) the woman he spent the last four months falling hard for might even just _like_ him, let alone fall in love with him right back.

_But **Readceras**_. A persistent part of him that remembered the war; Woden leaving, the destruction of Mercy Vale, the refugees that flooded down, everything else that could be laid at the feet of Waidwen and his country, rebelled at the idea of falling in love with a Readceran. Edér took a hard draw at his pipe, savored the earthly tang of the smoke before blowing it out in a contemplative rush.

But he _hadn’t_ had he? He wasn’t in love with ‘a Readceran’, he was in love with _Charity_. Who happened to be Readceran. If she even considered herself one. With how hostile her birth country had been, that was something of a long shot.

_But even if she does, does it really matter where she comes from? It doesn’t change who she is or any of the things she’s done since you met her._ His thoughts flashed to the puppy he’d left curled up atop his pillows. _She’s still kind, and thoughtful, considerate, willing to laugh at herself, everything you liked about her is still there. She’s just from a different place than you thought._

Honestly, he couldn’t blame her for not disclosing where she was from to her _Dyrwoodan_ neighbors right up front. He took another puff at his pipe and blew out more smoke as the thought crystallized. _So why’s it matter? Honest truth_.

When he floundered for a good answer to that question, Edér felt it narrow its focus some more. _**Does** it matter?_

That was the real question. He blew out more smoke and stared up at the darkening sky. Now if he could just find an answer to go with it.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She didn’t regret telling him. Whatever he decided to do with the confessions she’d piled atop each other in her quest to be honest with him, she was glad he knew.

However, Charity reflected as she stared at the ceiling and tried to get to sleep, she _did_ harbor hopes on what his reaction would be. She’d _understand_ if he didn’t share her feelings and was no longer comfortable with the courtship facade. She’d understand if he never wanted to see her again, if she’d ruined their friendship by keeping secrets. She would understand, she’d accept it, but she would hate it.

There were pretty good odds it would break her heart, if she was honest.

But she wasn’t going to tell Edér that. She’d already put enough pressure on him with everything she’d shared, using its potential emotional impact as leverage would be cruel. No, she was going to give him his couple days, wait til he was ready to talk to her, and deal with whatever he decided when they did talk.

_And what if...?_ She didn’t even let the thought finish forming. If she treated the idea of Edér being okay with what she’d shared of her past and romantically interested in her as well like anything more than a concept with the _barest_ chance of becoming  reality, it would hurt that much more if it proved false.

_Eothas is a god of hope_ , a small, warm voice reminded her. _And second chances._

Charity rolled on her side, one hand curled around her necklace, and fought a half-hearted war against that hope until she drifted off to sleep.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

In the end, he only needed a day and a half. He thought about going to talk to Tavi, get an outside opinion from someone who knew them both and _didn’t_ live in Dyrford. But that would still involve telling someone else things that felt like Charity’s prerogative to share, he had no idea how busy Tavi was, and he knew she’d ask him the same damn questions his own mind had already conjured up, so Edér stayed put.

Well, metaphorically. He took Sunshine on _several_ long walks, keeping just enough of an eye on the pup to keep him from getting in _too_ much as his thoughts ran rampant. Put in just as much time as he had to on mayoral duties--he was too distracted anyway--and smoked his way through a lot of his pipeweed.

But he finally found a clear answer. To everything.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Of course, now that he _wanted_ to talk to her, he couldn’t find her anywhere. She wasn’t home or in the chapel, Hendyna hadn’t seen her, she wasn’t in the Dracogen.

“What’s the matter?” Peycg asked with a smile, catching his frustrated expression as she cleaned the counter.

“Lookin’ for Charity,” Edér muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “Can’t find her anywhere.”

“Oh, she was runnin’ low on supplies,” Peycg said, smile widening. “Stuff Hendyna’s out of, too. She mentioned goin’ out to collect herbs an’ such toward the Crossing.”

“Thank ya kindly,” he nodded, and did his best to stride purposefully--rather than _run_ \--out of the inn.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It took longer than he’d expected to catch up with Charity. She’d made good progress, but when Edér found her she wasn’t collecting herbs, though the half full sack at her side spoke to her success. She was instead sitting on a rock by the river, boots and socks off, trousers cuffed a few inches, and her feet just skimming the water’s surface, clearly lost in thought.

He hesitated and almost walked away. But they needed to talk, for both their sakes. So instead, he cleared his throat. “Y’know, you really should be armed, bein’ out here this time of year. Lotsa young alpha types tryin’ to prove themselves an’ all.”

Charity jolted, instinctively pulling her knees up to her chest, toes curling against the edge of the rock. She stared at the droplets running off them rather than meet his eye. “I’d point out my faith protects me, but that sounds trite.” She shifted so he could see the dagger at her belt. “Thought you wanted a couple days.”

“Turns out I didn’t need it,” he said, picking up a pebble as he sat next to her and skipping it across the river’s surface. “I understand, Charity. Makes a whole blazing lot of sense, actually, that you would be shy about startin’ off _anywhere_ in the Dyrwood with your neighbors knowin’ you’re... from where you’re from.”

“I wasn’t sure what you’d do,” Charity said softly, her protective pose loosening.  “If I told you after we got to be friends. I tried to rationalize not sayin’ anything  ‘cause of why I left an’ it didn’t feel like _home_ even before that on account of everything. An’ saying my family’s from Ixamitl and not correcting people who assumed that included me wasn’t _technically_ lyin’, but...” Her fingers closed around her pendant and she zipped it back and forth on the chain. “It still _felt_ like lyin’. I just...”

“I think the idea of sharing somethin’ like that would scare most people, darlin’.” The casual endearment slipped out through habit, and both of them pulled a sharp breath as it hung between them. Neither said anything for several long moments, Edér fiddling with his talisman and Charity playing with her ponytail, the silence broken only by birdsong and the babbling river.

“So, um,” he cleared his throat and finished his thought. “I think you’re brave.”

Charity stilled, her gaze very carefully on the rushing water inches from their feet, hand tight around her necklace. “Brave? For keeping secrets?”

“For standin’ up against popular opinion--I know from experience that ain’t easy--for leavin’ everything familiar to protect the people you care about, and for tellin’ me... everything you told me, even though you knew it could change things between us.” Edér shifted his hand just enough to brush against hers as it rested on her leg. _“Because I’m falling in love with you”_ echoed in his head. _And it is gonna change things._  “Very brave.”

Her fingers curled against the worn fabric of her trousers and she finally looked at him. “Edér-”

A twig snapping off to their left was their only warning. Both swiveled toward the sound, Edér’s arm swinging out in a protective stance before they’d even located the potential threat.

It was a stelgaer. Alone, thankfully, but already crouching to pounce.

_Oh shit._ This was a bad position to be caught in; even just getting to their feet would give it more than enough time to strike. Edér turned his head ever so slightly and asked Charity in an undertone, “Do you put the odds as bad as I do on us runnin’ for it?”

“Worse,” she murmured back, one hand resting lightly against his shoulder.

“Was afraid of that.” He had his sword but no shield, Charity only had that damn dagger, and he didn’t figure their odds on killing it much better than running away. Slowly, carefully, praying the tawny predator wouldn’t react beyond its twitching tail, Edér started to get to his feet and reach for his sword.

He didn’t make it halfway before the stelgaer pounced.

_Well, so much for that_. Edér shifted his momentum to move forward and meet the lunging predator, hoping to buy Charity time as she scrambled up behind him.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She tripped over her boots. Because of course she did; coming up short when people she loved needed her was par for the course, why stop now? Charity swore under her breath and threw one boot at the stelgaer. If she could throw it off even a little, it would give Edér a better chance. He was closer, and had the better weapon(and hadn’t _tripped_ ), so if she wanted them to have a prayer of getting out of this situation alive, she was gonna give him all the help she could. (And she did want out of this alive. They hadn’t finished their conversation.)

The boot barely grazed the stelgaer’s ear, but it was enough of a distraction the beast missed Edér with its lunge. Mostly. He’d brought his arm up out of habit, used to having a shield, and the stelgaer’s claws caught from his wrist almost all the way to his elbow.

Charity winced when she heard him grunt in pain, but she finally made it to her feet and drew her dagger. It seemed almost uselessly small next to even this young stelgaer, but some help was better than nothing. She’d just have to wait for the right opening.

Edér slashed at the stelgaer, cutting its face and shearing off part of its mane. It yowled angrily and crouched to pounce again, wholly focused on him.

_Well, that didn’t take long_. Charity lunged in the provided opening, vaguely heard Edér holler her name as she barreled past, and jammed the dagger down into the crouching beast’s shoulder before it had a chance to fully react to her charge.

Even caught off-guard, the stelgaer managed to whip around enough Charity’s blow was more glancing than she’d hoped. Worse, when it yanked away, hissing and growling in pain, it jerked the dagger from her grasp and pulled her off-balance. Accepting the inevitability of a fall, Charity leaned into it and rolled. The move carried her under the leaping stelgaer, but not out of range, and its tail whacked her hard across the face as she got to her feet.

She stumbled but caught herself. Ignoring her throbbing cheek, she turned half a glance to Edér. “If I keep it distracted, think you can hurt it enough to drive it away?”

“Yeah, but, Char-”

“Not particularly fond of our odds at killing the thing, Edér!” she cut him off as the stelgaer, which had tripped after its last lunge, started getting to its feet. “And you’re still _armed_!”

He looked ready to protest the risk to her again, but nodded reluctantly.

Charity bent and picked up a rock that fit well in her hand, slightly bigger than an apple, and kept an eye on the stelgaer as it shook its head and tried to decide which of them to finish off first. She lobbed the rock at its head, but it had started moving toward Edér, and she hit its shoulder instead. Huffing a curse, she threw another rock. And another. Until the stelgaer whipped around faster than any creature with a lame leg had a right to and lunged at her instead.

She dodged, stumbling into the river shallows, but still felt its hot breath in a near-miss. The stelgaer rumbled a growl and swiped at her. Charity shied away, the claws catching her shirt but not skin.

_Too close,_ she thought, backing away. The water and uneven riverbed slowed her down.  No way it missed next time. _Shit_.

She stumbled over a rock, the stelgaer lunged, and suddenly Edér was between them, his sword raised so the stelgaer’s momentum impaled it through the base of its neck. Charity winced as the blade reemerged between the beast’s shoulder  blades. No matter how fiercely it had been trying to kill them, that was an ugly way to go.

Edér shoved on the sword hilt, pushing the stelgaer away in its death throes. One lashing paw still scored across his chest enough to draw blood before the beast fell lifeless on the bank of the river.

Charity stared at the corpse for a second, breathing hard, and flashed Edér a relieved smile when he looked at her. “Well, I stand corrected.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Edér laughed at both the comment and the giddy relief in her voice. “It didn’t getcha, did it?”

Charity shook her head, gently probing the blossoming bruise on her cheek.  “Just this.”

_Thank Eothas_. It was his turn to grin in borderline giddy relief. “Brave _and_ lucky. That’s a useful combination.”

She snorted, one hand lightly brushing his injured arm. “Lucky you were here.”

His stomach twisted at the thought of what could’ve--would’ve--happened if he hadn’t been. They were both quiet for a long moment, running over the variety of ways things could have gone much worse.

Charity finally sighed and raked her hair back out of her face. He hadn’t noticed til just now that her ponytail had started to slide out. It was the closest to having her hair down he’d seen her since they met. He almost stopped her when she moved to fix it. “We should head back to town. Well, my place, so I can patch you up.”

Edér touched the scratches on his chest gingerly. “You don’t hafta-”

“Edér, I’m the healer,” she reminded him. “Who else is gonna do it? ‘Sides...” she hesitated, bit her lip. “We need to finish our conversation.”

“Right.” They _had_ been interrupted.

They looked at each other, then down at the dead stelgaer, and at almost the same moment moved to retrieve their weapons.

“I should probably tell Hendyna this is here,” Charity commented as she wiped off her dagger and sheathed it. “She’ll want the teeth.”

Edér nodded absently, cleaning off his sword. He hissed softly as the motion managed to tug at both sets of injuries the stelgaer had given him.

Charity shot him a concerned look. “Come on. Let’s get those taken care of.”

Habit was not quite strong enough for him to put his arm around her shoulders for the walk back to town, but he did walk close enough for their hands to brush.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Neither of them spoke until they were safely in her house, as if in silent agreement privacy was best for the remainder of their conversation. Charity was mildly surprised--but grateful--when they didn’t encounter anyone who wondered why the mayor was covered in blood and she looked like someone had whacked her across the face with a fencepost on the way. It wasn’t until she’d gathered what she’d need and done a cursory cleaning of the wounds that Edér broke the silence.

“So, um, why Charity?” he asked as she sat on a chair next to him to stitch up the gashes along his arm.

“Hmm?” she tipped her chin up to shoot him a questioning look.

“When you changed your name. What made you pick Charity?”

“Oh.” She paused a moment, to gather her thoughts and start stitching up his arm. Those cuts were the more serious, so she wanted to take care of them first. “My family went through a real rough patch right around when Waidwen started making waves, neither of my parents were able to do much work. The only reason we held on long enough for things to get better was the charity of our neighbors. So between that and it seeming like a good virtue for an Eothasian to aspire to, I went with that. It was a good reminder of how to carry myself every time someone said it, and it didn’t get me _too_ many odds looks.”

“Heh, yeah, I guess that ain’t somethin’ that’s common for a name,” Edér said. “What did you change from, if you don’t mind me askin’?”

She didn’t, but she still flinched, pulling the last stitch on the first cut tighter than she’d intended. He pulled a sharp breath at the stab of pain and she grimaced.  “Sorry. It’s just... been a long time since...” She cleared her throat, hands only trembling slightly as she started on the second gash. “Jara. Jara Ixil.” The name felt foreign in her mouth after a decade gathering dust. “Didn’t keep the surname since that would defeat the whole fucking purpose. I don’t remember my thought process at the time, so don’t ask why I didn’t pick a new one. Figured just one new name would be easier to remember, I guess, maybe.”

“Jara.” The way Edér said it, she was almost tempted to consider switching back. He was quiet for a minute, letting her work, and then, “Pretty name.”

Charity was pretty sure she blushed, even not knowing fully where they stood yet. “Thanks.” She finished off the stitches and started on the last one, smiling at the memory he’d stirred. “It means _honeycomb_. Ma used to tease they named me that ‘cause I sweetened their lives. Which made Papa groan and protest _she’d_ made his life plenty sweet. Then she’d roll her eyes and they’d kiss while I acted disgusted. But not many other kids I knew had parents who loved each other much as mine did, so it didn’t bother me _that_ much.”

“Yeah, I guess to give up everything for someone you’d hafta love ‘em an awful lot,” Edér commented.

“Yeah,” Charity nodded. “I miss ‘em something fierce, but they’re safer with me not there.”

“I still hold that you’re mighty brave,” Edér said quietly, looking at her with something in his eyes that made her drop her gaze to her task.

That was better anyway. Wouldn’t want to do a lousy job stitching him up after he saved her life. That was why she let silence fall, not a complete and utter inability to figure a good reply to his words or the sincerity behind them. The silence stretched, somewhere between companionable and awkward, as he stubbornly--patiently--waited her out.

Charity finished with the stitches and turned her full attention to rubbing salve over the wounds. Rather than delve into... _that_ , her heart pounding in trepidation at the thought, she retreated to a somewhat safer topic. “If you think it’s really important, for official records and all, I can pick a last name.” She wiped her hands on a rag and reached for the roll of bandages, still not making eye contact. “I found a couple during my wandering time that I like well enough. Or I could go with Weaver, for my ma’s work.”

“Actually,” Edér cleared his throat, flinched slightly as her fingers grazed the scratches. “I was thinkin’ Teylecg.”

Charity froze, halfway through bandaging his forearm, breath catching as his meaning hit her. The fear of a few moments ago smashed against _Wait, did he just....?_ and her head snapped up, eyes wide as she met his. “You...”

“I’ve been fallin’ pretty hard m’self, ‘specially the past few months,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “An’ I... I love you. Don’t care where you’re from, either. So if you’ll have me-”

She surged forward, dropped bandages skittering across the floor as her hands cupped the sides of his face and she kissed him. _Gods_ , it felt good to give in to that temptation.

Edér’s uninjured arm curled around her back, hand pressing warm between her shoulder blades, and he chuckled into the kiss. When Charity finally pulled back, letting her forehead rest against his as they caught their breath, he grinned.  “Can I take that as a yes?”

“Don’t you think we should _actually_ court for a while first?” she asked, grinning back, feeling ready to explode from the joy in her chest as she rubbed one thumb in gentle arcs across his cheek.

“We could,” he allowed. “But for me the only change would be more of this” --he tipped his chin forward to kiss her again-- “and the other stuff we decided we didn’t need when we were pretendin’.”

It took everything in her not to squeal, her grin even wider as she conceded,  “Same for me.”

“Well, then?” he asked hopefully.

She was nodding even before she got the word out. “ _Yes_.”

They both pressed into the next kiss, but it didn’t last long before Edér hissed sharply in pain and Charity pulled back, apologetically brushing her fingers over the gashes on his chest.

“Sorry,” she said softly, moving to retrieve the bandages she’d dropped. “Let’s finish getting you patched up before anything else.”

He nodded, and she quickly finished with his arm. The cuts on his chest weren’t as bad, and didn’t take long to care for. Edér moved to the couch as she cleaned up the supplies, and Charity joined him soon as she was done.

“I hafta ask,” she began as they settled in with much less space between them than they’d previous allowed themselves. “Just out of curiosity. When did you know?”

Edér chuckled and wrapped his good arm around her shoulders, pulling her close enough to kiss her temple. “That I love you? Started to suspect that day after the first snowstorm this winter, when Sparrow got stuck on your roof. Was pretty sure when you gave me Sunshine, but wasn’t completely positive ‘til today. The thought of losin’ you scared the life outta me an’ that’s when I knew.” He slid his arm down to her waist, and Charity obligingly snuggled closer, linking her fingers with his as his arm curled around her middle. “How ‘bout you?”

“Tavi got me thinkin’ with some stuff she said when we visited Caed Nua. ‘Fore that I woulda sworn it was just a crush.”

“Don’t tell her that,” Edér said with a laugh. “She’ll never shut up about it.”

“Okay.” Charity agreed lazily. “Because I love you.”

“Love you, too,” he chuckled, kissing the top of her head. They lapsed into silence for a few minutes before he spoke again. “If I can have one of those ‘out of curiosity’ questions, you mentioned not thinking of Readceras as home. Where would you call home?”

She sighed, tipped her head back to look at him. “I want you to know I woulda said this even before today, honest truth. Dyrford’s the first place that’s felt like home since the Saint’s War.” She watched the slow smile spread across his face and felt her insides warm in the light of it.

“Me, too,” said Edér. “Honest truth. I like the company.” And he kissed her again.

_Me, too,_ Charity thought, smiling into the kiss as she shifted to a better position for returning it. After all, they had a lot of time to make up for. And truth be told, she couldn’t think of anything she was looking forward to more.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Me the whole way through, but especially that last scene

 

**Author's Note:**

> Honest to God, these two straight up killed me at least five times while writing this. I’ve been waiting to do this since, what, November? Whenever I wrote A Likely Story. Yes, this has been the plan since the beginning. I’ve been sitting on the rough draft of the proposal since December/January-ish, and it’s been torture waiting until the right moment. BUT I DID IT. I GOT TO IT BEFORE DEADFIRE RELEASED WHOO. (Also Tavi’s totally gonna find out by walking in on them making out and her reaction will be to throw her arms up and yell _**FUCKING FINALLY**_ )
> 
> Thanks to Bazylia_de_Grean who helped name Edér’s dog, bc I was completely stuck, aaaaand I hope y’all enjoy your death by Ederity. Join me, it’s a fun way to go. :D


End file.
